To ask what would you do with too much free time?!

@MoiraRoseIsMyQueen maybe try to give your day some structure. Once kids are at school, hit the job boards and check for new roles. Have you approached any recruiting agencies for your industry? You might be able to pick up casual or contract work while you look. I've done that before and a three month contract turned into over 18 months and would have contined but I got a full time job elsewhere.

Once you've done all you can job hunting, then get any chores sorted. After that, do something you enjoy until school finishes.

You might find it's not as much free time as you think especially if the DC are in school normal hours (9-3ish). You will need time to search for jobs, apply and go to interviews plus there's the usual cleaning and admin. Go to the gym and spend an hour afterwards in the pool / spa.

Draw, paint. Knit, crochet , craft, bake….

garden, redecorate, sort out cupboards, clean

shop, attend adult ed courses, visit museums, read , meet friends for coffee

research things that interest you, learn to speak a language, practice / learn a musical instrument

read lots of books from the library, listen to audiobooks / podcasts

vd t museums, the theatre, art galleries.

a million things you can do… embrace them

I’m 58 and don’t work anymore. Gym, meet friends, cook for family and dinner party prep.

Yoga daily, Running, Reading newspaper, Reading books, walk dog, declutter, sort garden

I think my approach would depend on how great the need was to earn money.
If it was desperate (as in, I needed to earn money within the next 3 months otherwise we wouldn’t be able to pay the bills) then I’d pretty much be job hunting morning til evening - including things like updating skills/CV etc.
if it was less desperate (as in we’d be okay for 12 months) then I’d lean Into more of a routine of job hunting for an hour or two a day and then buggering off out for a walk or to meet a friend, an afternoon seeing my mil or gardening (if you enjoy it, I don’t!), wild swimming, gym and spa, baking, decluttering an area of the house…

but I’m not good without some kind of routine and structure, I’d sit and be very unproductive, scrolling and watching telly, and those things don’t really make me feel very good!

Love all of this - and OP you’ll have loads of uninterrupted time to job hunt / apply so I don’t expect you’ll be out of work too long. I would love a decent stretch of free time to do all the above.

Massive declutter and put it all on Vinted.

Volunteer? Most charity shops round here are begging for help.

Catch up on everything I've neglected and put off for too long, including myself! Xx

Give yourself permission to enjoy some time off! I think it's good to have it at least once in your life. Watch all of that series you never got to the end of!

I would be doing lots of home projects, getting the garden ready for summer, painting the shed, redecorating inside, doing all the little jobs you never get around to doing.

Research and write my family history into a little book to pass down the generations

Do a free or cheap course in a new skill either for fun or for new job development/preparation

Listen to or read all the classic literature I haven't got to yet

Explore the local area by bus and train and have lunch somewhere new, all the places you've thought would be nice but never actually got to

Couch to 5k

Plan or do the decor/refurb of a part of the house you've been meaning to get round to

Get in the garden and plant some lovely bright annuals

I’d focus on this too. You’ll be able to relax much better once you’ve secured a job.

Volunteering
Gardening
Declutter the house and sell stuff on vinted etc

Go for some nice walks

Online courses to boost my CV

Read a pile of books

Meet up with friends for walks /coffee

My garden looked great when I was made redundant, because I had more time for it. I was also a lot fitter, as I had time to more exercise. I did some arty stuff, again something I don't usually have much time for. I spent a lot of time going down to the sea and also visited a lot of the free local museums in the area.

I didn't volunteer, because I knew I needed to find another job, and I didn't want to commit to something that woukd mean I would then have to let them down when I went to interviews or got a job.

I also ended up doing a 3 month training course, in a new field, which I haven't yused, as I got a job in my old field.

I loved being out of work, but it wasn't financially sustainable for much longer.

I presume your children are primary age, so how about volunteering to read with them

I would focus on creating a routine, something like-

school run
check job sites
cleaning
episode of a series
lunch
prep dinner
walk/coffee somewhere
school run

I'm retired and have all day to fill in every day, and this is pretty much what I do (apart from looking for jobs obviously). I find the days pass much more quickly than they ever did when I was working, and I no longer clock watch.

Just create structure in your days. Proper job searching and application is almost a full time job in itself.
Stay or get very fit. You'll present in interviews as much more confident and energised, so make working out a top priority for at least an hour or two a day.
Spend a few hours a day on job hunting. Tailor each application so you meet their requirements. If you can't apply yet due yo gardening leave, research potential companies- what are their forthcoming projects, their aims and plans. Be ready for when you can apply.

Then set yourself a couple of projects. Things there is never time to do when working: clear out garage/ attic; redecorate the bedrooms or living room; total declutter and deep clean; create a vegetable patch in your garden; sew some curtains etc. And enjoy time with DC, hanging out at the park after school, going for bike rides when it's fine or doing craft projects, watching films on rainy afternoons. You won't regret that time.

If you can come out of the gardening leave much fitter with your house in order and some really strong job applications, having had fun with your DC, you'll have done well.

Doing something that occupies your brain may also help you switch off from your worries.

i learnt Spanish on Duolingo. Also planted lots of seeds, tidied the garden (weather not conducive right now!) and took up recorder.

I would be the same OP- in fact I was many years ago. I moved in with DH 200 miles away and no job, in a new area and I remember getting a bit obsessed with job hunting! The uncertainty and being out of my routine was stressful and caused me some anxiety.

Anyway, I work three days now and have 2 school days “off”. I’m doing an adult course this term that takes up most of one day. On my other day, I sort out laundry first thing and then it might be a house project- decluttering/painting, or a deep clean. Maybe a trip to town to take donations to the charity shop and a bit of shopping.

Gardening is great for my anxiety (I’m stressed about getting a property sale through at the moment and have been fixating about that), but when I’m in the garden sweeping leaves in the fresh air, it makes me feel so much better. It’s exercise and productive! I maybe finish my “jobs” by 1.30-2ish and then have a break before the kids come home. I can’t bring myself to spend ages on hobbies when I know my spare time is limited.

Volunteering is an all rounder - if you find a role that you really enjoy. Great on your CV plus you'll meet people and learn new skills.
Structure your day so you have dedicated times to exercise, to job hunt, to clean/declutter/do admin/whatever and some fun time for a hobby or activity.

Would you feel better if you had a structured plan for your job hunt? So not just looking at advertisements, but scheduling things like updating LinkedIn, booking coffee meetings with contacts or a friend who might talk things through with you, signing up for courses to upskill?

1st year of Covid I was still working but found evenings dragged on as I was used to driving home from work, hitting the gym for 2 hours, getting home, showering, making my dinner, eating dinner, tidying the kitchen, drying my hair and finally sitting down for around 9pm!

WFH and everything being closed meant I was sitting down by 5pm and it drove me nuts.

I deep cleaned and decluttered the house, totally revamped and redecorated DS's old bedroom into a spare room, made a huge pile of crocheted blankets for the cat home, indulged in fancy cooking, dug out my cross stitch stuff from the attic and made my first cross stitch thing in this millenium 😆, oh and finally took up sewing and knitting!